Nisa
The Centro Scavi’s research
Inside the walls, protected by 48 towers built from unbaked bricks (the building material used for all constructions in Nisa), two main building complexes are recognisable: a northern sector containing the monumental Square House from which most of the known materials from Old Nisa come from, and a central sector with an ample uncovered courtyard which several monumental buildings overlook. These include the two complexes studied since 1999 by the mission of the Centro Scavi di Torino: the Round Hall (1990-1996, 1999) and the Red Building (1995, 2000-2006).
The work carried out by the Turin expedition included excavations, restorations, studies and documentation and technical analyses. From 1990 to 1999, excavations were performed inside the Round Hall, completing the data collected by the Soviet missions in the previous decades. One of the aspects that characterised the recent field studies was the recovery of fragments of unbaked clay sculptures, that since ancient times were heaped on the room’s floor in dismal conditions; the delicate and complex operations included the cleaning, consolidation, detachment, documentation and restoration of dozens of pieces that are today preserved in the capital’s museum. Between 2000 and 2006 excavations focused on an adjacent sector immediately north of the Round Hall, where the remains of a monumental Arsacid building, the Red Building, had been identified.
Since 2007 new excavations were begun in the SW corner of the citadel, near the fortified walls. The excavations, still in progress, brought to light a complex covering a wide area, displaying an approximately square plan, with rooms along the main walls and a central court. In some of the rooms, interpreted as warehouses, peculiar findings such as gypsum moulds for statues, big jars (khums) and clay sealings, were found.
In recent years, the creation of the National Museum of Ashgabat has finally provided the opportunity to systematically collect and store all the materials from Old Nisa, as well as the availability of work spaces for conducting studies, restorations and technical analyses. The fruitful cooperation with the museum allowed the updating of the documentation of several classes of materials (analogue and digital photographs, drawings) to be completed. This material will be included in the Centre’s future publications.